Tips On Thrips And PGRs

The latest edition of the New England Greenhouse Update features strategies for controlling thrips and tospoviruses along with using plant growth regulators (PGR) on mixed containers, flats and small containers. To view this electronic bulletin published by Extension agents at University of Massachusetts and University of Connecticut, visit http://www.negreenhouseupdate.info/greenhouse_update/

What will be the next big perennial? Breeders say it takes more than a splashy plant to distinguish itself in the market. Therefore, the question is not what will be the next big perennial, but rather what perennial performs well enough in the garden to have staying power in the market for years to come.

The industry's goal is to have loyal customers who return to the same plants time and time again, not because of price, but owing to a plant brand that shouts top-notch garden performance and is synonymous with excellence, which gives them the secure knowledge that their investment will be worth every hard-earned cent.

Ethephon is an excellent and cost effective option for improving plant structure, preventing early flowering, and controlling excessive plant growth. It is easy to see why Ethephon has become an essential component of the floriculture PGR toolbox.

Collate from Fine Americas Collate Plant Growth Regulator offers all the proven benefits of ethephon in a concentrated liquid formulation and contains 2 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. It can be used to increase lateral branching, delay flowering and inhibit internode elongation in a wide range of ornamental crops, including azaleas, chrysanthemums, geraniums, lantana, petunias and verbena. In addition, it controls plant height and stem-topple in daffodils and hyacinth. Fine-Americas.com Verve from Nufarm Americas Verve plant growth regulator has a wide range of applications to enhance plant quality and appearance. Its active ingredient, ethephon, can help shorten and strengthen stems, induce flowering, suppress fruit production on ornamental trees and seedhead formation in grasses, control parasites such as mistletoe and promote leaf drop to allow more timely digging of nursery stock. Rick Fletcher, technical service manager for Nufarm, points out that the product label for Verve is unique in that […]

How do you know when it is cost-effective to use plant growth regulators (PGRs)? Certainly they can be used to regulate plant growth and size, but that is just one part of the equation. Chemical costs are the primary concern to growers. There is certainly a variable cost associated with using plant growth regulators. The growth controlled with PGRs allows for tighter plant spacing. Thus, there is less square foot per week cost, and a lower fixed cost assigned to the pot. So, we need to evaluate if the fixed cost savings is greater than the variable cost of the PGR application. To provide an example, let’s use geraniums grown in a 4-inch square pot. This geranium crop will be grown for 10 weeks. For four weeks, plants will be placed pot tight at 4 inches by 4 inches. For the final six weeks, the plants will be spaced at […]

Fine Americas, Inc. recently announced the U.S. introduction of its new Collate plant growth regulator for greenhouse ornamentals. Featuring the active ingredient ethephon, Collate can be used to increase lateral branching, delay flowering and inhibit internode elongation in a wide range of ornamental crops. “We’re excited about the addition of Collate to our growing line of ornamental plant growth regulators,” says Greg Johnson, president of Fine Americas. “Collate offers all the proven benefits of ethephon in a concentrated liquid formulation containing two pounds of active ingredient per gallon. We believe it’s the perfect complement to our other floriculture PGRs, including Piccolo 10XC, Piccolo, Configure, Concise and Dazide. Kevin Forney, technical services manager for Fine Americas, says Collate offers key benefits in a number of ornamental crops. “It can be used to increase lateral branching in many popular ornamental varieties, including azaleas, chrysanthemums, geraniums, lantana, petunias and verbena,” Forney says. “Plus, […]

The use of a graphical tracking system is highly recommended for poinsettias. With similar day and night temperature setpoints, the need for chemical height control is minimal for many varieties. When day temperatures are more than 5°F higher than night temperatures, a Cycocel spray at 750 to 1,000 ppm one to four times after pinching is sufficient in Northern climates to control stem extension. When day temperatures are greater than 80°F and night temperatures are greater than 70°F, spray a tank mix of Cycocel at 1,000 ppm plus B-Nine at 1,500 ppm one to three times, one to four weeks after pinching. Bonzi sprays can also be used at 5 to 10 ppm under these warm growing conditions. Proper growth regulation before and after the pinch, combined with high light conditions are critical to avoid early internode stretch and to build a sturdy plant. Avoid B-Nine and Bonzi sprays after […]

The management of pests and diseases during the production of greenhouse crops is not an isolated event. As such, interactions may occur that can have a significant impact on the success of any pest management strategy. For example, under conditions of high relative humidity (greater than 75 percent), naturally-occurring populations of beneficial or insect-killing fungi may cause substantial mortality of insect and mite pests. Although beneficial fungi typically require high relative humidity, these fungi can be effective when the microclimate relative humidity around the spore (e.g., leaf surface) is high. This can occur even when the relative humidity within a greenhouse is less than 50 percent. In addition, the effectiveness of beneficial fungi can vary depending on light intensity, plant size and plant architecture. Fungicides used to manage plant diseases may create issues associated with the compatibility of these chemicals and beneficial fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and […]

Fine Americas, Inc. announced a label expansion of its Piccolo plant growth regulator (PGR) in Canada on February 20, 2012. The product now can be applied in Canadian greenhouses for height and radius control in poinsettias and pot chrysanthemums. “This is fantastic news for greenhouse ornamental growers throughout Canada,”stated Greg Johnson, president of Fine Americas. “Piccolo has proven to be one of the most trusted PGRs on the market today. And now, Canadian poinsettia and pot mum growers can reap the documented economic benefits of this cost-effective growth regulator.” Kevin Forney, technical services manager for Fine Americas, noted that Piccolo features the active ingredient paclobutrazol. “Previously, Piccolo applications in Canada were limited to container grown bedding plants and plugs. Now, Canadian growers can obtain the same outstanding growth control in their poinsettias and pot chrysanthemums.” Forney added that the PGR can be applied as a spray or drench. By reducing […]

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension announced the launch of its first mobile app called “PGR Mix Master” on February 29, 2012. PGR Mix Master was developed at the University of New Hampshire with the support from Fine Americas, Inc and is available in Android, Blackberry and iPhone formats. The free application was created to be an easy-to-use tool to assist greenhouse personnel in calculating correct dilutions for plant growth regulators. PGR Mix Master is an extension of the popular web calculator PGRCALC that can be used on the home screen of a smartphone and is optimized for mobile devices. PGR Mix Master is capable of calculating dilutions for all PGRs registered for greenhouse use. The app can be downloaded by searching iTunes and the Android Market for Apple and Android devices, respectively, or visiting www.nhfloriculture.com for the Blackberry version.

OHP has announced its participation in the California Spring Trials from March 23-31, 2012. Returning to the trials again this year, OHP will showcase the results of its plant growth regulators (PGR) on perennials and annuals such as lantana, geranium, petunia, calibrachoa, sedum and pennisetum (grass) at American Takii in Salinas. In addition, OHP will demonstrate the effect of its PGR Augeo on no-pinch poinsettias. OHP Senior Technical Manager Dave Barcel will coordinate the display, evaluating the performance of the OHP’s PGRs B-Nine, Cycocel, Paczol and Augeo on the many quality varieties of American Takii. “We feel very privileged to be able to be a small part of the event,” notes Barcel, who will be participating in his 17th Spring Trial. “American Takii has graciously agreed to provide us an expanded demonstration area for this year’s trials. They are a great host and destination spot.” The annual event draws attendees […]

Flurprimidol drenches have been shown to successfully control height of oriental lilies and Dutch bulbs such as hyacinth, narcissus and tulips, but there is no data that shows how effective flurprimidol drenches are on Easter lilies. Researchers decided to find out.

Piccolo 10 XC, a plant growth regulator (PGR) from Fine Americas, is now registered for use in California. Featuring a 4.0 percent concentration of paclobutrazol, Piccolo 10 XC is 10 times stronger than standard 0.4-percent formulations of the PGR. “We’re excited that California ornamental growers now have access to Piccolo 10 XC, a significant improvement over previous paclobutrazol formulations,” says Greg Johnson, Fine Americas president. “Since it comes in a true solution instead of a suspension, Piccolo 10 XC overcomes the potential settling problems associated with older paclobutrazol products. “From a grower’s perspective, that means there is no need to shake the container prior to use in order to ensure uniform distribution of the active ingredient. In addition, the super-concentrated formulation translates to fewer plastic containers, lower shipping and storage costs, and a smaller carbon footprint for our industry.” Kevin Forney, technical services manager for Fine Americas, notes that Piccolo […]

SePRO is voluntarily restricting the use of Hachi-Hachi on poinsettias with bracts in color after trialing the product in university trials and discovering some cultivars are particularly sensitive to it. A label change could not be made in time to deliver the message to growers, so SePRO is actively communicating the restriction to growers itself. The Hachi-Hachi label lists poinsettias as an approved crop for application based on trials of a limited number of poinsettia cultivars–with bracts not in color. SePRO also discovered in recent trials that some salvia and gypsophilla species can be harmed. Label changes have been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency restricting the use of Hachi-Hachi on those two crops. Additionally, SePRO indicates ageratum, colocasia, geranium, lobelia, pansy (flowers), verbena and vinca sustained temporary injuries after Hachi-Hachi was applied. Before launching, SePRO was aware of potential injury to impatiens and New Guinea impatiens. Label restrictions were […]

For the last two years, OHP has been working extensively with growers and academic researchers trialing its new plant growth regulator Augeo. At American Takii, Dave Barcels trialed it on dark leafed seed geraniums, delphiniums and the vigorous Cadenza petunias, which are a hedgiflora type, like PanAmerican’s Tidal Waves. The goal is to induce more lateral branching. More branching means more flowers. The idea is to double the flowers without delaying the crop. “We’ve really learned a lot in two years,” Barcels says. “The grower feedback has been, wow! They’re trying it on verbenas, calibrachoas, veronicas and petunias. This is a new product for us, which is exciting, but the real acid test is the growers.” Recommended rates are 400-800 ppm on herbaceous crops and 800-1,600 ppm on woodier crops.

Fine Americas has launched Piccolo 10 XC plant growth regulator for use on bedding plants. Featuring a 4.0 percent concentration of paclobutrazol, the new Piccolo 10 XC is 10 times stronger than current 0.4 percent formulations of the popular plant growth regulator. “We believe new Piccolo 10 XC is a significant improvement over current paclobutrazol formulations,” says Greg Johnson, Fine Americas president. “Since it comes in a true solution instead of a suspension, Piccolo 10 XC overcomes the potential settling problems associated with older paclobutrazol products.” From a grower’s perspective, that means there is no need to shake the container prior to use in order to ensure uniform distribution of the active ingredient. In addition, Johnson says the formulation translates to fewer plastic containers, lower shipping costs and a smaller carbon footprint. “One quart of new Piccolo 10 XC equals 2.5 gallons of our standard Piccolo formulation, making storage, handling […]

Put the decimal point in the right place. It’s a simple lesson in plant growth regulator (PGR) notation, yes, but it’s a lesson many growers have learned the hard way over the years. Count Amy Morris, the head grower at Millstadt Greenhouse, among them. “Every grower moves the decimal point at some point,” Morris says. “Instead of putting a 1 down you put a 10. I laugh about it, because it happens. I don’t know a grower who hasn’t done it once. You’re in a hurry and you know better, but it still happens.” Fortunately, some PGR mishaps are correctable. In Morris’ case, applying 10 times the amount of Bonzi wasn’t the end of the world. Certain chemicals, she’s found, can help prevent simple mistakes from wiping out a crop. “I have growers who beat themselves up about it,” Morris says. “But did you learn something? As long as you […]